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Mancera The Aoud vs Montale Black Aoud
Since I have samples of both, which belong to the same perfume houses and seem very related, I will compare them, Montale on the left arm and Mancera on the right.
Opening:
Montale opens with a very medicinal - artificial Oud - rose blend underlined by patchouli. I find the patchouli positive; for me, it’s not necessarily pleasant but also not too "soapy," as is usually the case. It leans more towards an oily-herbaceous scent. I feel that neither the Oud nor the rose smells natural here. The Oud is neither warm nor animalic, barn-yard like, but is, in my opinion, responsible for the medicinal note. There’s also a hint of old, dry wood.
Mancera
The Mancera smells significantly more complex and less medicinal right off the bat. I can pleasantly detect the pepper and the oil of bergamot. The rose mixed with geranium and saffron appears a bit sweeter than the Montale and blends well with the woods. So it’s peppery-spicy-woody, which I like a bit better than the Montale so far, although it reminds me quite a bit of a church. It goes somewhat in the direction of Guerlain Santal Royal. The Mancera also doesn’t contain animalic, poopy Oud but one with a medicinal note, very similar to the Montale, I would say, but it’s harder to say since it doesn’t stand out as much due to the woods.
I initially find Montale a bit louder than Mancera.
Dry-Down:
The two perfumes come significantly closer to each other.
The Montale becomes noticeably less medicinal, and the rose takes a bit of a backseat. Everything somehow becomes a bit rounder and less synthetic. It appears a bit greener. It even has a certain freshness, and the patchouli fits well. And normally, I don’t like patchouli very much. Not bad at all.
Unfortunately, I have to say that from my perspective, Montale has the edge here, as the Mancera becomes a bit musty and loses its spiciness. The pepper and a bitter fresh note remain. The composition somehow blurs. What a shame.
Opening:
Montale opens with a very medicinal - artificial Oud - rose blend underlined by patchouli. I find the patchouli positive; for me, it’s not necessarily pleasant but also not too "soapy," as is usually the case. It leans more towards an oily-herbaceous scent. I feel that neither the Oud nor the rose smells natural here. The Oud is neither warm nor animalic, barn-yard like, but is, in my opinion, responsible for the medicinal note. There’s also a hint of old, dry wood.
Mancera
The Mancera smells significantly more complex and less medicinal right off the bat. I can pleasantly detect the pepper and the oil of bergamot. The rose mixed with geranium and saffron appears a bit sweeter than the Montale and blends well with the woods. So it’s peppery-spicy-woody, which I like a bit better than the Montale so far, although it reminds me quite a bit of a church. It goes somewhat in the direction of Guerlain Santal Royal. The Mancera also doesn’t contain animalic, poopy Oud but one with a medicinal note, very similar to the Montale, I would say, but it’s harder to say since it doesn’t stand out as much due to the woods.
I initially find Montale a bit louder than Mancera.
Dry-Down:
The two perfumes come significantly closer to each other.
The Montale becomes noticeably less medicinal, and the rose takes a bit of a backseat. Everything somehow becomes a bit rounder and less synthetic. It appears a bit greener. It even has a certain freshness, and the patchouli fits well. And normally, I don’t like patchouli very much. Not bad at all.
Unfortunately, I have to say that from my perspective, Montale has the edge here, as the Mancera becomes a bit musty and loses its spiciness. The pepper and a bitter fresh note remain. The composition somehow blurs. What a shame.
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Unique from Common Ingredients
I purchased the fragrance along with Deep in a Dream and Niwa on-site in Belgium and had a relatively long conversation with the perfumer Romain Pantoustier. He said that he would not use any artificial ingredients, except for those of animal origin, although some of these are still available (in their natural form). And I believe him 100%, as all of his fragrances appear almost photorealistic, as if you have all the ingredients right in front of you. Even after an hour of smelling, I did not experience the slightest hint of a headache, which usually occurs after 20-30 minutes in regular perfumeries. Additionally, he revealed to me that the concentration of fragrance oils is around 28%, giving his perfumes an "Extrait de Parfum" or "Parfum" concentration.
Earl Grey truly smells like a wonderful Earl Grey tea that you would find in specialty tea shops, even though tea is not listed among the ingredients. The longevity is very good for a fragrance of this type. All ingredients are individually very recognizable. Essentially, it is a relatively simple and extremely pleasing scent, which, however, is deeper than the title suggests. A safe bet that will likely not offend anyone. Everything here is just right.
Personally, I have lived in Japan and have visited the country countless times. Romain has also been to Japan frequently and apparently draws a lot of inspiration from his experiences there. This is already evident in the logo - just look for "Zen." I believe that not only his creation "Niwa" (Japanese: garden) but also this particular fragrance was inspired by Japan - at least that is my personal impression. In Japan, people generally do not wear fragrances (at least during the day) as they do not want to stand out negatively. However, I am sure that one could still get away with this fragrance, as it simply does not smell like "perfume" in the sense of Davidoff Cool Water, etc., but rather like a composition of natural ingredients.
The fragrance is fundamentally very simple, but so perfectly balanced that it absolutely deserves to exist and can certainly appear more frequently. In this form, it is a unique blend of ingredients that everyone has smelled at least once.
TLDR: Super natural, smells extremely simple at first sniff, but is relatively deep. The beauty lies in the detail. Photorealistic scent. Citrus fruits are very aromatic and slightly sweet, rose is very gentle. Like a tea that has been brewed at just the right temperature and for exactly the right amount of time. Also, really very good longevity.
Earl Grey truly smells like a wonderful Earl Grey tea that you would find in specialty tea shops, even though tea is not listed among the ingredients. The longevity is very good for a fragrance of this type. All ingredients are individually very recognizable. Essentially, it is a relatively simple and extremely pleasing scent, which, however, is deeper than the title suggests. A safe bet that will likely not offend anyone. Everything here is just right.
Personally, I have lived in Japan and have visited the country countless times. Romain has also been to Japan frequently and apparently draws a lot of inspiration from his experiences there. This is already evident in the logo - just look for "Zen." I believe that not only his creation "Niwa" (Japanese: garden) but also this particular fragrance was inspired by Japan - at least that is my personal impression. In Japan, people generally do not wear fragrances (at least during the day) as they do not want to stand out negatively. However, I am sure that one could still get away with this fragrance, as it simply does not smell like "perfume" in the sense of Davidoff Cool Water, etc., but rather like a composition of natural ingredients.
The fragrance is fundamentally very simple, but so perfectly balanced that it absolutely deserves to exist and can certainly appear more frequently. In this form, it is a unique blend of ingredients that everyone has smelled at least once.
TLDR: Super natural, smells extremely simple at first sniff, but is relatively deep. The beauty lies in the detail. Photorealistic scent. Citrus fruits are very aromatic and slightly sweet, rose is very gentle. Like a tea that has been brewed at just the right temperature and for exactly the right amount of time. Also, really very good longevity.
